


Unfair Farewells

by novocaine_sea



Series: Akaashi Rare Pair Week 2017! [7]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blood, Established Relationship, M/M, Major character death - Freeform, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-24
Updated: 2017-06-24
Packaged: 2018-11-15 08:14:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11226939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/novocaine_sea/pseuds/novocaine_sea
Summary: Day 7: Last farewellsWar wasn't for everybody. It definitely wasn't for them.





	Unfair Farewells

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry that my last fic for Akaashi rare pair week is this sad shit? I originally had something fluffy and then scrapped it to write this... all in all I enjoyed writing everything this week!  
> Enjoy~

It was raining. That was how these things always went.

Akaashi trekked through the mud, the sticky dirt coming halfway up his calves. Kenma was huffing behind him, his small stature not suited for this terrain. Nobody was suited for this terrain; it was war after all.

“Just a little further.” Akaashi whispered to his partner and when he glanced over his shoulder, Kenma was giving him a hard look. It made Akaashi spin back around and keep walking. The rain weighed down on him, making his uniform heavier. The mud wasn’t helping. But they had to keep going. Their base was so close; they just had to keep marching forward.

An explosion had separated them from the majority of their pack. It had been expected and a couple of men perished but Akaashi and Kenma had bolted into the nearby jungle before they could assess the damage. Akaashi was sure the others would take care of it. Right now his main priority was getting himself and Kenma to the base safely. Nobody else was around, which was both suspicious and a good thing.

War had been waging for two years now. There were no real causes for the war other than one moment countries were allied and the next they were pointing all kinds of weapons at each other. Akaashi and Kenma and all their friends were drafted, as Japan needed all the manpower it could get. Everybody under seventeen was safe, from being drafted at least. The entire world was up for grabs, an entire war zone filled with death and destruction.

Akaashi and Kenma were third years before all of this. They had nothing to worry about other than if they could make it to nationals without Kuroo and Bokuto leading them. And if they could get into university. Then the first bomb struck and they found themselves with guns replacing volleyballs and thrust into the trenches and torrential downpours of foreign landscape instead of testing rooms with old proctors.

They fought on, for Japan. They were placed in the same unit, away from everybody else that they knew. They were the other’s stability from then on. War has a funny way of bringing people together in funny ways. When in high school they had a rivalry, now they were partners. Hearts grew fond and they were selfish in their defenses. 

“Can we stop?” Kenma asked, panting a little bit. There was definitely a wheeze in his voice. The mud made it even harder to walk but the rain didn’t look as if it was going to let up anytime soon.

“Kenma…” Akaashi warned but when he turned to look at him Kenma was bent over, hands on his knees and sputtering for breath. Akaashi sighed and tread through the mud over to him, reaching into his pack for his inhaler.

“Here.” Akaashi put it to Kenma’s lips and Kenma wrapped his lips around the plastic, nodding at Akaashi when he was ready for the puff.Akaashi gave him a couple before capping it and tucking it back into Kenma’s pack.

“Thanks.” Kenma muttered. Akaashi kissed his forehead and took his hand, tugging him along. Deep in the forest where nobody could see them this was perfectly fine. They needed to find comfort somehow and this way Akaashi could make sure Kenma was keeping up. Akaashi didn’t want to lose him or have him fall behind again.

They walked on and on but still found themselves with miles of forest in front of them. Kenma snapped at him that they were lost and Akaashi fired back that there was nothing they could do now. There was really no point in getting mad at each other either. Akaashi kept cutting through the forest, dragging Kenma behind him. Kenma could barely walk through the mud but there was no way Akaashi was going to carry him. 

After a few moments Akaashi stopped dead in his tracks, Kenma bumping into him.

“Hey-”

“Sh.” Akaashi shushed him and looked around. He heard noise over the thunderous rain. It was… voices. He couldn’t tell where they were coming from or if they were friendly.

“I need you to stay here.” Akaashi cupped Kenma’s cheeks.

“What?” Akaashi saw the hesitation in Kenma’s eyes and felt it in the way trembling fingers wrapped around his wrists.

“There are others.” Akaashi explained lowly and pressed their foreheads together. “I think they’re coming from the east. But I need you to stay here.”

Kenma’s eyes widened and he said incredulously, “I’m going with you.” 

“No.” Akaashi held his ground.

“I’m not letting you go alone so you can get killed, Keiji.” 

“I’ll be okay.”

Kenma slapped his hands away. “You’ll be better if I come with you.”

Akaashi’s lips pulled into a thin line. Akaashi liked Kenma, a lot. Maybe even loved him if somebody could love another person in their situation. However, war wasn’t for everybody. Kenma wasn’t made to fight a war. The only thing helping him was his quickness, his small size allowing him to dart around the enemy and fire a shot into the back of their heads. Most of the time it was Akaashi doing the combat though.

Akaashi hesitantly ran his fingers through Kenma’s hair. The blonde coloring had grown out over the years, leaving Kenma’s hair jet black. Akaashi loved playing with it, tying it up into a ponytail or braiding it. Kenma had taught him how to braid when they were lying in their bunkers, other men hooting in laughter around them. They had been wrapped up in each other’s worlds.

“I would rather you survive.” Akaashi stated finally.

Kenma opened his mouth to argue. “It’s not fair to leave me alone.” 

“I’ll only be gone a second.” Akaashi promised. They locked eyes for a moment, determination set in both pairs of eyes. Then Kenma pulled him down by the uniform, pressing their lips together lightly.

“I hate you for this.” Kenma muttered.

Akaashi chuckled and stepped back, gun poised in hand. “Don’t forget to stay low.” Then he quietly rushed off in the direction of the voices he had heard. He couldn’t hear much right now but they seemed to be growing louder and closer. Akaashi walked with his gun cocked and his finger on the trigger. He had impeccable aim, surprisingly. 

Akaashi stopped when the voices faded. He was sure that he had heard them. He sagged a bit and exhaled, closing his eyes. He tried to open his ears beyond the rain to listen for more voices.

Instead, he heard a gunshot and a strangled cry of “ _ KEIJI! _ ”

Akaashi broke into a sprint. The rain whipped around him, pelting him roughly but he barely felt a thing aside from panic. He could tell that Kenma was in trouble. He should’ve just stayed with him, he should’ve never left Kenma to his own devices. This was all his fault.

Akaashi reached Kenma and his partner was already all bloody, clutching at his neck where he had obviously been shot. There were three other soldiers around him, one of them bloody as well. Akaashi didn’t think about it as he raised his gun and shot all three of them in the head, instant kills.

“Kenma.” Akaashi cradled Kenma’s neck, applying pressure to the wound. It was gushing over his fingers and if they couldn’t find a way to stop it…

“I-I…” Kenma coughed, bloody dripping out the corners of his mouth.

Akaashi’s eyes watered. “I’m so sorry. This… This is all my fault. I shouldn’t have let you stay here by myself. It was obviously a trap, I’m-”

“N-No.” Kenma smiled, teeth painted red. He tried shaking his head but then he winced, more blood pouring through the cracks in Akaashi’s fingers.

“Kenma.” Akaashi kissed his forehead. “Please hold on.”

Kenma closed his eyes, smile still on his face. “You… You always said… I wasn’t…. Meant for war.” His chest was heaving.

Akaashi sniffed. “This is my fault, Kenma. Don’t blame yourself.” Deep inside him Akaashi knew there was nothing he could do except apply pressure to the wound. If he tried to remove the bullet more blood would gush out. Kenma was going to be dead within minutes.

Akaashi positioned himself against a tree, cradling Kenma’s head and neck, still applying as much pressure as he could. Kenma was gasping and gulping as much air as he could. Akaashi had never seen so much blood before and men and women have blown up right in front of his eyes.

The rain had let up to a light drizzle. “I’m sorry we got dragged into this mess.” Akaashi whispered. Kenma let out a laugh through his nose. He was already so pale. He was losing the ability to speak.

“I’m so sorry.” Akaashi repeated and he curled his fist into the front of Kenma’s uniform. Kenma shook his head ever so slightly. Akaashi thought that he must be in pain, just bleeding out like that.

Akaashi was trying not to cry. You don’t cry in war; that’s for after you win.

Akaashi had closed his eyes for maybe three seconds but when he opened them, he realized Kenma wasn’t breathing. Akaashi scrambled to find his pulse point, but there was no pulse.

“K-Kenma….” Akashi sniffled and bent to press their foreheads together. He had barely even gotten to say goodbye. Akaashi couldn’t help himself when he let the tears flow down his cheeks, the rain picking up at the perfect time. 

Akaashi ended up crying himself to sleep against the tree, still holding Kenma close to him. He was woken up by a hand pressing roughly into his shoulder.

“Oi, you alive?” Akaashi blinked his eyes open and looked up. The rain had stopped and it was clear when he locked eyes with another man. He bore the same uniform as Akaashi, showing that he was friendly. His hair was a bit weirdly shaped, light colored bangs cut at an angle.

“Is he?” The man gestured with his chin to Kenma. Akaashi held the body a little closer to him.

“You know, I lost a lover once too. You just have to keep moving. It doesn’t hurt any less if you just stay there with him.”

“I can’t leave him.” Akaashi mumbled, stroking Kenma’s soaked hair.

“You either stay here with him or you lay him down and let him rest.” The man crossed his arms over his chest.

Akaashi narrowed his eyes. “Who are you?”

The other soldier paused. “Shirabu Kenjirou. We have a camp set up nearby. Are you coming or not?”

Akaashi looked down at his lover. They had been so close. He could have saved Kenma if they kept moving.

“It’s no use blaming yourself.” Shirabu practically read his mind. “People die everyday out here.”

“It’s my fault.” Akaashi muttered to himself and he slowly rose to his feet, laying Kenma in the mud. He didn’t want to leave him there but he wasn’t going to carry a corpse to the camp. He reached down and took Kenma’s dog tag off, stuffing it into his pocket.

“Let’s go.” Shirabu turned on his heel and started walking off.

Akaashi took one last look at Kenma lying in the mud. He almost sat back down. But he was alone now and Kenma wasn’t magically going to spring to life.

“I love you.” Akaashi whispered into the humidity and then without a second glance he followed Shirabu to the camp, about a mile from where Kenma and Akaashi had been. They were so close but Akaashi had let him go. The guilt would stay embedded deep within Akaashi everyday. He couldn’t think about it now though. He had to win the war for Japan. For everything they had lost.

For Kenma. 

**Author's Note:**

> [Tumblr](http://novocaine-sea.tumblr.com/)


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